United too powerful to take 2-0 Grand Final lead

The Perth Wildcats still battled bravely but Melbourne United proved again to be too strong and deep to go up two games to nil in the Grand Final Series with an 83-74 win at RAC Arena on Sunday.

Melbourne has now won all four of its matches in Perth this season and it puts them in a commanding position to take out the 2021 NBL championship. 

United leads the Grand Final Series 2-0 and now the rest of the games will be back home for them at John Cain Arena starting on Friday night.

The 'Cats did all they could to make United earn the win but without Bryce Cotton and then Clint Steindl and Luke Travers ruled out before the game with groin and calf complaints respectively, just where Perth's points would come from became the biggest question.

And again in the end they just couldn’t score enough and now for the first time in club history, they have gone seven straight matches of failing to reach 80 points.

Melbourne did enough offensively to win with 21 points from Chris Goulding again leading the way with 4/7 from three-point land with support from Yudai Baba with 15 points, Jock Landale 12 (17 rebounds) and Jo Lual-Acuil 10 before he went off with a knee injury.

However, the difference from Game 1 was Melbourne's effort to shut down Todd Blanchfield. He put up 27 points for Perth on Friday, but couldn’t get going in Game 2 with 13 points on 3/19 shooting.

United coach Dean Vickerman now can't wait to get back home this week, whether it was with a 2-0 lead or not.

"Obviously the schedule was what it was and to not get that home court advantage to start with, but now I guess it works in our favour to say that we're going home for three games," Vickerman said.

"But my first thought in saying that is that we are going home and that's the thing I'm absolutely happiest about right now. It's been a 30-day road trip with 10 games and I'm so proud of our group just to stick it out and stay together, and deal with so many changing schedules as every team has done. 

"I'm proud that on this long road trip we were able to get eight out of 10 wins, and win playoff games on the road but we want to reward our fans. 

"They haven’t seen us for a long time and we're not sure how many will be allowed in the building, but we are looking forward to re-engaging not only with our own families and our basketball family once we get back."

John Mooney had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, Kevin White 12 points on 4/6 from deep and Mitch Norton 12 points despite his hip injury, but it wasn’t enough.

Perth coach Trevor Gleeson could never fault the fighting spirit of his group, but he acknowledges they are up against it.

"They gave their heart and soul without a question. Everything that you'd want us to do, we were giving it out on the court. We gave our all, we just have to be more on point with a few things and at this level if you're not, the opposition hurts you," Gleeson said.

"I thought we were off point with a few things in the first half and allowed them to get some points, and they had that separation. We fought back pretty good again in the fourth but it was just too much of a gap. 

"We probably should have gone into half-time six or seven up to give us that little bit of a buffer but then Baba hit that one on half-time and McCarron hit another two points just before that. To have that buffer taken away at the half was pretty deflating and then we went through that patch of not being able to score so it hurt us. "

The pressure to find ways to score was on Perth without Clint Steindl and Luke Travers, but big men John Mooney and Will Magnay showed they could be the answers opening up hitting a three-pointer each.

Melbourne responded with three triples of their own through Jock Landale, Chris Goulding and Sam McDaniel, but Perth came out inspired and hit back with their own 8-0 run.

Kevin White then replaced the hobbled Mitch Norton and finished the first quarter knocking down a trifecta of three-pointers to put Perth up 28-18 by quarter-time.

Melbourne hit back strongly to open the second term with the first eight points and they soon took over the lead with a triple from Yudai Baba and three free-throws from Goulding, but the swings were to continue.

Perth turned the tide again with another 9-0 run to appear in control heading towards half-time but then Baba stepped up hitting his second three first of all, and then on the buzzer connecting from half-court to level scores up at 42-42.

Goulding was starting to warm up for Melbourne in the third quarter too helping them to a 9-0 streak before he picked up a fourth foul and had to sit. But with Todd Blanchfield cold, Perth just couldn’t score and Melbourne pulled away to a nine-point edge with a couple of Jo Lual-Acuil buckets.

But Perth found some life just before three quarter-time to stay within five thanks to White's fourth three-pointer of the game.

Goulding returned for Melbourne to start the fourth and hit a quick three and Perth just didn’t have the answers. Goulding nailed another triple with four minutes remaining and ultimately that was the dagger putting United up 77-65.

The 'Cats, as you'd expect, never threw in the towel and went on an 8-2 run and got back within six, but no closer and United won by nine to now just need one win back in Melbourne to clinch the franchise's second championship.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL GRAND FINAL SERIES
GAME 2

PERTH WILDCATS 74 (Mooney 17, Blanchfield 13, Norton 12, White 12)

MELBOURNE UNITED 83 (Goulding 21, Baba 15, Landale 12) 

BOX SCORE